Kindergarten
1:35-2:15
Ruth Christiansen
Kelly Breen
Emma Mighan

Archive Unit 2 Reading Learning About Books
Archive Unit 3
Archive Poetry

Unit 4: Nonfiction

Timeframe:

Essential Learning: Features of nonfiction; what the genre is

Proficiency: Students will define nonfiction books as "teaching us something about real things" and will be able to distinguish a nonfiction book from others by locating the table of contents, labels, or captions.

Pre-Assessment:

Give the students two books.
"Point to the one that is non-fiction.
Show me how you know."

Post-assessment:

Tell me what a nonfiction book is.
Here are two books. Tell me which one is nonfiction.
Show me how you know.
___

Optionally:

Point to each feature.
What is it called? What do we use it for?







Date
Step 1
Collect & Chart Data

Step 2
Analyze Strengths
& Obstacles

Step 3
Establish Goals:
Set, Review, Revise

Step 4
Select
Instructional Strategies

Step 5
Determine
Results Indicators

Next Steps
4/20


Results:

Ruth: 7/23
Kelly: 6/18
Emma: 1/6


Books selection: Don't pick Clifford! (It's about dogs; it's their favorite.)

Start off with definition on the first day of instruction.

"Teaches something about real things."
4/13

Strengths: Can find labels and captions and captions in the books.

Obstacles: Cannot name "labels" and "captions"

Label: Names a part of a picture and points to the part.

Caption: Tells more about a picture.

Select books. Administer the post assessment. Bring data to the next meeting. Chart intended learnings for the next unit.
4/6

Strengths: Almost all students know that nonfiction is real. Can identify which statement would be in a nonfiction book vs. fiction book.

Obstacles: Can't verbally define nonfiction.

The vocabulary of "wondering."

Finding events vs. features
Ruth: 0-52% (12/23)

Kelly: 0-50% (9/18)
Definition of nonfiction: A book that helps me learn information about real things. (teach is okay)

KWL - (Know - Wonder - Learn)

Teaching vs. Entertaining

Model and give examples of wondering. Wonder = I don't know.
Nonfiction read aloud:

labels or captions
Select the results indicators and bring the data to our next meeting.
3/23

Strengths: Students know the table of contents.

Strategies to help students wonder:

1.What we learned. I still wonder.

2. Modeled wondering about the pictures in a chapter. Asked students to wonder using the modeling. Wondering in a small group. (gradual release).

3. Use "Let's Talk about It" to wonder.

4. Morning Message = "I wonder..."

5. Use "I wonder" everywhere - even before the morning announcement (lunch).
Small group conferring: relate questions to students' particular topics; tell me what a nonfiction book is.
Gather information about the definition of a nonfiction text. Two statements: which would appear in a nonfiction book: I like cats. or Cats drink milk.

Later - gather data on labels and captions.

Gather big books with nonfiction text features.
3/16
See separate sheet.
Obstacles: No experience with nonfiction. Lacking vocabulary and knowledge of features. Application of knowledge to other books. Student cannot identify the main idea of nonfiction texts. (What is this book teaching us about?)

Strengths: High interest genre!! Liked generating topics for writing. Comprehending what is being read to them.

Vocabulary:

tapping & patting

practice moving finger along the line to find the table of contents

create opportunities for the students to use the vocabulary

Give each student a book during the mini lesson so they can participate in finding the text features.

Generate a ritual to view the specific vocabulary at the beginning of each lesson.

Find books that have the nonfiction features: table of contents, captions, labels